“No!” she screamed, fighting her own brother. Nash was there to hold her to the ground, but it was Charlie who came to her mate’s side.
“I’m sorry, Aspen,” she whispered as the needle entered the back of her arm.
Booker opened his eyes, seeing the room in a hazy yellow. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, but instead, he felt his mind being pushed by something wild.
“Booker, it’s going to be okay,” Aspen whispered as she touched his snout.
Snout?
“I don’t know how much you remember, but you were dying,” she began, leaning as close as she could. “I changed you into a wolf to heal you. It’s going to be a little strange until you get used to it, but I need you to listen to what I tell you to change back.”
Change back?
Her words were clear, and as he looked at the white fur on what should’ve been his arms and legs, Booker realized that she really had done as she said. He was a wolf, and he was…happy. Being the same as Aspen meant they could have a true life together. She was his mate, and the animal taking up space in his mind rumbled from the realization.
“You need to use your human mind to push the animal one away,” she ordered, and he felt a push of power…like she was controlling him. Was this the alpha genes she had told him about? “Tell your wolf to make you human again. I need to see you are okay.”
He understood her every word, even though he couldn’t speak to her. With her instructions, he dug down deep, thinking hard about his human body. The pain started in his joints when the wolf’s mind gave up and allowed the human side to take over. He moaned softly as his body reformed, taking on the shape of his former self.
“Hi,” she breathed when he curled in on himself. “I know it hurt, but it won’t the next time.”
“What happened?”
“You lost control of your ATV, and the bears scented your blood,” she cried, stroking the side of his face. Her touch was magical, and he closed his eyes to just feel their connection. His teeth ached again, and he used his tongue to touch the sharp points of his canines. There was a desire there to take her into the bed and mark her.
“You were there,” he remembered. “You and Charlie.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “We were with you the entire time. Nash and Mason came soon after.”
“Come here,” he ordered, reaching up to cup her face. “I need you, Aspen.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, pulling back just the slightest when he gave her a moment to take a breath. “Your body has been through a lot.”
“I’ve waited long enough to complete this mating,” he growled. “I’m a wolf now, and I understand it more than ever. We are mated, and I would give my life for yours. Now, I feel my wolf stirring. He wants to make it complete.”
“I do, too,” she said with a smile.
His cock twitched when she lifted her shirt over her head. They were in the small bedroom downstairs at his cabin, and he listened for the sound of anything that might be a threat to him or his mate, and when he found none, he rolled her over on her stomach.
“I’m going to fuck you and bite you now, Aspen,” he promised, knowing exactly what was required. The new wolf that lived inside him instructed him on what needed to be done.
“Please, Booker,” she begged. “I’ve waited forever for this moment.”
When he wrapped his hand into her long, brown hair, pulling her up so her back met his chest, he used his tongue to lick the spot where he would mark her. She shivered and moaned when he wrapped his arm around her waist, anchoring her body against his.
“You’re mine, honey,” he vowed right before sinking his teeth into her neck.
“Forever,” she cried out as they both climaxed, sealing their mating for the rest of eternity.
Epilogue
Aspen held back tears as she hugged Nash as hard as she could. It wasn’t time to cry, because what she was about to do was her destiny.
“You know you can always come home, right?” Nash asked, squeezing her tighter.
“I do,” she sniffled. Damn it. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry. “But this is what I want. I want to live with Booker.”
“You have the alpha gene, and you don’t need me,” he reminded her. “It’s okay to start your own pack.”
“I know,” she replied, finally releasing him.
It was going to be different once she finally moved in with Booker. He was her mate, and she didn’t need to be close to Nash to live.
The door opened and she felt those tears welling up in her eyes when Mason stepped inside, closing the door softly. His head was down, and she knew he was going to have a harder time letting her go than her oldest brother. She and Mason were close.
“So, you’re all packed into the plane,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’m ready when you are.”
He didn’t look ready at all.
“Oh, Mason,” she cried, crossing the room to wrap him in the same embrace as she’d done with Nash. “I love you. I love you all so much.”
“We know, Aspen,” he replied, gently taking the tops of her shoulders to push her back just the slightest bit. He leaned over and looked her deep in the eyes. “If something happens and you want to come home, I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the night, I will come for you.”
“I know you will,” she said, finally giving over to her tears.
Both
